Indian Scout vs Harley-Davidson Sportster: Clash of Legends

The Harley-Davidson Brand for many decades, is iconic in the world of motorcyclists. Today it knows even a child. the American project is so popular that in the minds of many motorcycle – this is "Harley". The Indian name is little known in Ukraine. It is also an American manufacturer of bikes, which makes a worthy competition to the "Harley" on the American market. The brand owners claim that they are in 1901 created the first production American motorcycle. Despite the success of the company during the Second World war, which she received thanks to the production of military equipment, in 1953, the company was declared bankrupt. A great revival occurred in 2011, thanks to Polaris, which bought the brand and gave new life to the legendary Indian bikes.

Today we want to compare two similar models: production Indian Scout Indian Motorcycle Company and Sportster – production Harley-Davidson. Despite the overall similarity, the stories are different. Let us consider some aspects.
A little history of the models.The difference between the outputs of the models in the light of nearly 60 years. Arlievsky Sportster for the first time saw the world in 1957, and since structural features have not changed significantly. Stories first Scout was introduced in 1920, but after 20 years, the production of the model ceased. Revived in 2015, the legendary motorcycle brand is a reincarnated model with modern technical solutions and design. Consequently, a number of differences between the bikes, starting with their technical specifications to design a solution.

Design: classics vs modernity
Adherents of classics will prefer the Sportster motorcycle, because for more than 50 years, its design has not fundamentally changed, remaining still old-school. You can not say about Scout. In addition to modern design, the bike features a lightweight aluminum frame that, in turn, contributes to the comfort and increased maneuverability and excellent dynamics of dispersal.

The motor and fuel system
V-twin engine Indian Scout motorcycle is liquid cooled, unlike its "competitor" Sportster, which positively affects its resource and fuel economy due to a more stable thermal regime of the motor and protect against overheating. Motor "Harley" has a classic air cooling. In addition to the above, the Scout is equipped with engine balancer shafts, which reduce unnecessary burden from the crankcase (sump) and vibration as a whole. With the help of modern technology and engineering the power of the motor increased to 97.7 nm at 5,900 rpm. This is an excellent parameters for the motor capacity of 1100 cm3. Power Sportster – 96 N*m at 3,500 rpm.

The advantage of the model is the larger Sportster gas tank, 17 litres as against 12.5 l on the model of Indian Scout. By the way, Indian model Sportster throttle linkage is carried out electronically, although this is like not all bikers. Because initially there is no feeling of direct connection with the bike. I want to mention that even if it is unusual, after a short driving biased to the electronics dissipates. But this function allows more precise dosing of fuel.

Brake system – ABS for safety
A nice addition to the standard brake system weighted cruiser became anti-lock braking system (ABS) for a motorcycle Scout. It allows you to keep the bike stable even under extreme braking, preventing the wheels from locking and maintaining good traction with the road surface. Thus significantly increases the safety of driving motorcycle. Brake rotors Scout – large diameter (298 mm) front and rear: provide outstanding braking at any speed. Have a Sportster, this option is not available.

Suspension features
Suspension of Indian motorcycles (including model Scout) stands out for its "softness" and comfort from a number of most road bikes. Thanks to the great suspension travel: front 120 mm, rear – 76 mm, model vs Sportster, ride on bad road surfaces will not cause noticeable discomfort, and the geometry of the chassis Scout surprise excellent maneuverability and easy operation, which is another distinct advantage over the Sportster model.

It should be noted that the agility of the Sportster is not inferior in this comparison, which is not true about the suspension, are frankly she is much tougher than the Indian Scout.

Center of gravity and seat height
Ergonomic saddle made of genuine leather and low slung at the saddle – 643 mm provide the driver a comfortable ride. Low center of gravity significantly improves the maneuverability of the motorcycle. Allowable incline angle – 330 allows you to enjoy "sporty" cornering. Fit for Sportster saddle a little more – 711 mm.

Wheelbase: what is its length?
Scout profile wheels allow the bike to deform the discs in the "rough" alignment and possible impacts. A long wheelbase (1562 mm) allows bike, how to maneuver on the city roads and easy to take high speeds. The length of the wheelbase Sportster – 1530 mm.

If you are still undecided between the two competitors Indian Scout and Harley-Davidson Sportster offer a simplified table of comparative characteristics. But remember, the decision of "Who is cooler?" is up to you.